NexCen to acquire Marble Slab, MaggieMoo’s ice cream brandsNexCen to acquire Marble Slab, MaggieMoo’s ice cream brands

Ron Ruggless

NEW YORK Marble Slab Creamery Inc., a 336-unit system, and MaggieMoo’s International LLC, whose franchise system has 184 units, to consolidate the No. 2 and No. 3 brands, respectively, in the premium hand-dipped ice cream category under one owner. —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

NexCen, which owns and franchises The Athlete’s Foot shoe store brand and Feb. 15 completed its $54.6 million acquisition of the Bill Blass designer apparel brand, would buy Columbia, Md.-based MaggieMoo’s for $10.6 million in cash and $5.5 million in NexCen stock. NexCen agreed to buy Houston-based Marble Slab for $16 million in cash and $5 million in seller notes, payable in either cash or stock. —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

In 2001 a group led by former Olsten Corp. chairman Stuart Olsten acquired a controlling stake in MaggieMoo’s, which currently has branches in 36 states. Marble Slab, which is owned by the family of president Ronald Hankamer, trades in 35 states. —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

The acquisitions by NexCen are expected to close by the end of March. Robert W. D’Loren, NexCen’s president and chief executive, cited the two chains’ 520 existing outlets “and 225 stores in the pipeline on a combined basis” and said MaggieMoo’s and Marble Slab together would be “the No. 2 player in the number of franchise units in the hand-mixed premium ice cream sector.” —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

Privately held Cold Stone Creamery, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., is the category leader, with more than 1,200 franchised branches in at least 47 states, and 2005 systemwide sales of about $408 million. —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

D’Loren said NexCen, while growing its two ice cream brands internationally through an existing franchise network in more than 40 countries, also was looking at other potential quick-service acquisitions. “We like coffee,” he said. “We like other desserts—doughnuts, pretzels, things like that. I like things that are health-driven, such as sandwiches, smoothies, health drinks, things of that nature.” —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

NexCen finds itself as an ice cream chain kingpin because “these two opportunities were presented to us,” D’Loren said, “and we like the synergies of putting them together as a team to go forward. Our strategy now will be to look at things that present good co-branding opportunities for both concepts.” —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

According to Chicago-based research firm Mintel International, the ice cream industry has more than $2.8 billion in annual sales, a figure representing growth of 14 percent between 1999 and 2004. Much of that growth, Mintel said, was fueled by chains selling premium hand-dipped products. —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

NexCen executives said they expect sales at MaggieMoo’s and Marble Slab to increase by 20 percent this year. Combined, the chains generated profits of $10 million for their franchisors in 2006, NexCen indicated. —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

D’Loren said NexCen operates as a holding company and intends to grow under the three vertical categories of retail franchising, consumer brands and quick-service restaurants. —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

“We are looking for luxury brands across our three verticals, and I would define Marble Slab and MaggieMoo’s as luxury brands in the ice cream sector,” he said. In addition to combined purchasing power, “We see synergies between the two brands as far as operations, back-office as well as leveraging the front-end drivers of the business such as advertising, promotion, marketing, [public relations] and product development. We believe we can position the two brands differently in the market and satisfy both consumers that we are trying to reach—one being more young and one being a slightly older demographic. We also believe there is great international opportunity for both, given our platform with The Athlete’s Foot.” —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

The 600-unit athletic shoe chain has stores in 40 countries. —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

“Our strategy is to use the Athlete’s Foot infrastructure to grow other franchise brands that we buy,” D’Loren said. —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

MaggieMoo’s opened its first store in 1989. Company chairman Olsten said, “NexCen’s executives understand our business and have the tools to both grow our business as well as expand the MaggieMoo’s brand beyond ice cream.” —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of

Marble Slab opened its first store in 1983. Hankamer, its president, said he was turning “the reins of Marble Slab Creamery over to Bob D’Loren’s team with the utmost confidence they will continue our longstanding commitment to providing the world’s freshest and tastiest ice cream.” —NexCen Brands Inc., based here, has agreed to acquire the assets of